Signaling mechanism.



R. T. REID.

SIGNALING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED APR.24,1912.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

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l V/ 7 N155 TES T. REID. SIGNALING MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. 24,1912.

1,058,261 Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

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AlllllllllAAAl vvvvvvl WITNESSES Z 7 lNVE/VITOR A lz'orney ROBERT '1. REID, 0F SEATTLE, WASHTINGTON.

I SIGNALING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

Application filed April 24, 1912. Serial N 0. 692,918

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT T. REID, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Mechanlsm;

and I do Herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invent-ion, such as will enable others skilled.

in the art to which it apertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in signaling devices, and more particularly to electrically operated protective appliances popularly known as police calls and adapted for use by banks, safe deposit companies,-

jewelry stores and other establishments where special protection is needed.

One objectof my invention is to provide simple, economical, and eflicient means whereby a person may conveniently and.

silently communicate his need of assistance to another, with the use of an annunciator to indicate the location of the ing assistance. 4

A further object is to provide means for sounding a buzzer or other audible alarm in connection with the signal for assistance.

A further object is to provide means for .causingan electromechanical signal or call ith these and other objects in View, the

invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, devices and circuits as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a front elevation of the selecting mechanisrn, Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are views showing the various positions which the parts will person need-.

' assume during the operation of the selecting mechanism; Fig. 5, is a rear elevation of the selecting mechanism, and Fig. 6 is a dia-.

grammatical view illustrating an embodiment' of my invention.

As before intimated, my improvements are intended to enable persons to promptly call for assistance, person or persons rendering the call for assistance necessary, shall not be made aware of the fact that assistance has been called.

The various devices hereinafter described may be conveniently and judiciously located in the building where protection or assistance may be needed, and the various circuits including the several slgnaling means,

in such manner that the will be controlled by a selecting mechanism which constitutes the essential feature of my invention. The said selecting mechanism comprises a suitable base 1 of insulating-inaterial, upon which a metallic frame 2 is located. At one end, the frame 2 supports an electro-magnet 3, and below this magnet, a lever 4 is pivotally attached at one end to the frame and carries an armature 5 which cooperates with the magnet. i

A ratchet 6' having two arms 7-8, is pivotally attached at the juncture of said arms, to the frame 2 at a point over the lever 4. The arm 7 is Weighted and provided at its free end with a plurality of notches forming teeth 9 to be engaged by a pawl 10 pivoted to the free end of the lever-4, said pawl also having a finger 11 for a purpose hereinafter explained. The pawl 10 is pressed to ward the toothed end of arm 7 by the action of a spring 12. The free end of the arm 8 is provided with notches 13 to be engaged by pawl 14 at the free end of an arm 15 pivoted to the frame 2 at-16. The ratchet 6 is moved to its normal position by the action of its weighted arm 7 and is retained in such position by engagement of its arm 8 with a pin 17 on the frame 2. The pivoted arm 15 is provided with a depending finger 18 to be engaged by a finger 19 on a pivoted lever 20 for effecting restoration of the parts to their normal positions as hereinafter described.

One arm of said lever 20 is connected, by

means of a spring 21 with the pivoted arm 15, and the other arm of said lever is connected with a restoring bar 22, a stifi spring 23 being included in the connection between the lever 20 and bar 22 to relieve the strain and jar. The pivoted arm 15 is provided with contact pins 2425 to make electrical contact, respectively, with pairs of spring contact fingers 26 and 27 ,said pins and contact fingers being so relatively arranged that the contact pin 24 will engage the fingers 26 before the contact pin 25 engages the fingers 27.

The coil of magnet 3 is connected in circuit with the magnet of an'annunciator 28;

a battery 29, and two Smore or less) push normally open circuit 0 osers 30, the latter being located within convenient reach of the person who is liable to need assistance, while the annunc'iator will be located at a point in the building from which assistance can be summoned. The circuit closers may be conveniently located in position to be manipulated by the foot of the operator, and the annunciator will denote the location of such operator. A buzzer 31 or other form of audible signal will be located near the annunciator and is included in a normally open circuit with a battery 32; contact fingers 26; frame 2, pivoted arm 15 and pin 24, This circuit may also include a switch 33. A third normally open circuit includes a battery 34; the coil of an electromagnetic trip of a callbox 35 of any preferred construction; the contact fingers 27; frame 2; pivoted arm 15, pin 25 and switch 37.- The call box 35 will be connected with a suitable indicator in a police station or headquarters, or other place at a distance, from which assistance can be summoned. A fourth normally open circuit includes a suitably located electric lamp 36 and two pole switch 37 so arranged that when switch 37 is thrown it will open at its contact points, the circuit in which battery 34 the coil of an electric trip of a call box-35, contact fingers 27 frame 2, pivoted arm 15 and pin 25 are included and simultaneously close the circuit in which electric lamp 36 is located causing the lamp to glow until the switch 37 is restored to its normal position.

My im rovements will be operated as follows :-I the assistance of the police as well as those in the vicinity of the person needing assistance, is required, the person needing such assistance will operate one of the circuit closers 30 three times. When the circuit closer is first operated, the circuit including magnet of annunciator 28 and the ma et 3 of the selector mechanism will be closed. This will operate to display the an- "nunciator and the magnet 3 will be caused to actuate its armature and raise the lever 4. When the lever 4 is thus raised, the

weaaei pawl 10 will be actuated and, by theengagement of the latter. with a tooth of the ratchet arm 7, the ratchet 6 will be moved the distance of one tooth, the pawl 14 of arm 15 dropping in the first notch 13 ofthe ratchet arm 8. It will be observed that the pivoted arm 15 has not, by the above described operation, been permitted to drop far enough to cause either of the pins 24 or 25 to engage the contact fingers, and hence the circuits of the buzzer and callbox are still open. As soorf as the operator releasesthe circuit closer, the circuit of magnet 3 will be opened and the lever 4' permitted to drop by gravity: The ratchet 6 will, however, be retained in the position to which it has been moved, by engagement of pawl 14 of arm 15 with the ratchet arm 8, being held in such engagement by the spring 21. operator now again closes the circuit by op erating the circuit closer 30, and the arm 4 will be again actuated by the magnet 3,

causing the cooperation of the pawl 10with the toothed ratchet arm 7 to move the ratchet the distance of another notch. This will permit/the pawl 14 on the pivoted arm 15 to drop into another notch of ratchet arm 8, and said arm 15 to descend a suiiicient distance to bring the pin 24 into electrical The p contact with the fingers 26, but not far enough to permit the pin 25 to engage the fingers 27. Thus it will be seen that upon the second closin of the circuit of magnet 3, the circuit of t e buzzer 31 will be closed and the latter caused to operate. By operating the switch 33, this circuit can be opened manually and the operation of the buzzer prevented. When the operator re leases the circuit-closer 30, the lever 4 and pawl 10 will again assume their normal positions, and the ratchet 6 will be held in position by engagement of pawl 14 of arm 15 with the notched arm'S thereof. The operator now manipulates the circuit closer 30 the third time, with the resultthat the ratchet 6 will beagain moved until the pawl 14 drops past the upper end of ratchet arm 8 and the arm 15 descends sulficiently to cause the pin 25 to make electrical'contact with the fin ers 27 The eifect of this will be to close t e circuit of the call box releas-i ing means and permit the operation of the call box to transmit a call to the police station or other place from which assistance is to be summoned. The bar 22 hereinbefore referred to may be the bar by means of which the annunciator drop is restored, so

that when said bar is raised to restore the drop, it will also operate to turn the lever 20 on its pivotal support. When the lever 20 is thus turned, its finger 19 'Wlll coiiperate with the finger 18 of arm 15 and raise the latter until the thereof has been raised above the notched awl 14 at the free end" end of the ratchet arm 8. Continued movement of the lever will cause engagement of its inner arm with the finger 11 of pawl 10, to move the latter beyond the toothed end. of ratchet arm 7. The ratchet 6 is now free and will drop by gravity and the parts will assume their normal positions as shown in Fig. 2. When, for anyreason, it is desired to temporarily disconnect the coil of the electroma etic trip of call box 35, two pole switch 3 may be thrown opening the circuit in which it is located and simultaneously closing the normally open "circuit in which the lamp is located causing the lamp to glow as a signal that the police station or other place from which assistance is to be summoned, has been disconnected.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In signal mechanism, the combination with a plurality of signaling devices, of a plurality of circuit closers included in separate electric circuits with said signaling devices and operable successively, electromagnetically-operated step-by-step devices for said circuit closers to close said circuits successively and maintain them closed, another circuit including said electro-magnetically-operated devices, and a manually operated circuit closer included in said lastmentioned circuit for controlling the stepby-step devices.

2. In signal mechanism, the combination with a plurality of circuit closers and signal controlling means included in separate electric circuits with said circuit closers, of an electro-magnet, means operable by said magnet for closing said circuit closers and maintain them.closed in succession, an electric circuit including said magnet, and a manually-operable circuit closer included in said last-mentioned electric circuit.

3. In signal mechanism, the combination with a plurality of signal controlling means, of separate electric circuits including said signal controlling means, circuit closers included in said circuits, ratchet devices for closing said circuit closers and maintaining them closed in succession, an electromagnet for controlling said ratchet devices, an electric circuit including said magnet, and a manually-operable circuit closer in-' cluded in said last-mentioned electric cir-.

cuit.

4. In signal mechanism, the combination of a plurality of stationary contacts, a plurality of movable contacts to operate therewith, a plurality of electric circuits including the pairs of stationary and movable contacts, signal controlling means included in each of said electric circuits, ratchet means for controlling .the movement of the movable contacts to close. said circuits and main- .cluded in each of said circuits, step-by-step mechanism operable tovcontrol the movable contacts to close said circuits and maintain them closed in succession, an electro-magnet, an electric circuit including said magnet, signal controlling means included in said last mentioned circuit, and aman'ually-operable circuit closer also included in said last-mentioned circuit.

6. In signal mechanism, the combination of a plurality of stationary contacts, a piv oted arm, pins carried by said arm to cooperate with the respective stationary con tacts successively, electrical circuits including said stationary contacts and said arm, signal controlling means included ineach of said electrical circuits, a pivoted ratchet having a plurality of notches with which said pivoted arm cooperates, said ratchet also having a plurality of teeth, an electromagnet, an armature lever therefor, a pawl carried by said armature lever and arranged to engage the teeth of the ratchet to move the latter step-by-step, an electric circuit including said magnet, and means in said last-mentioned circuit for opening and closing the same. I

7. In signal mechanism, the combination of a plurality of stationary contacts, a pivoted arm carrying a plurality of pins to engage said stationary contacts successively, signaling circuits including said contacts and plus, a weighted ratchet having a plurality of notches with which said arm coopcrates, and also having a plurality of teeth, an electro-magnet, an armature lever, a pawl carriedby sald armature lever to cooperate with the teeth of the ratchet, a finger depending from the pivoted arm, a finger proecting from said pawl, a pivoted restorin lever to engage the finger of saidpawl, sai

restoring lever having a finger to engage the finger of the pivoted arm, a spring connecting said pivoted arm with the restoring lever, and means for controlling the magnet.

8. In signal mechanism, the combination of a lurality of circuit closers, an audible signa ,"an electric circuit including said signal and one of said circuit closers, a callbox releasin means, an electric circuit including said releasing means and another circuit closer, step-by-step devices for clos- 4, esson ing said circuit closers successively, an elec .In testimony whereof,' I have signed this tromagnet for operating said step-by-step specification inthe presence of two subscribdevices, an electric circuit including said 'ing witnesses.

- ROBERT T. REID.

magnet, a visual signal included in said last- 5 mentioned circuit, and a manually-operable Witnesses:

cifcuit closer also included in said last-men- W. T; MCLEAN, tioned circuit. E. Gr. Bsowm. 

